Gaming devices are well known. Many known gaming devices provide wild symbols or wild cards. Wild symbols provide a player with an additional opportunity to obtain winning combinations. The use of wild symbols, wild cards or wild indicators in gaming devices provide additional excitement and entertainment for players.
In a slot machine having reels, a wild symbol can enable the matching of symbols along a payline to achieve a combination. For example, in a three reel slot machine, the symbols along a payline on the first, second and third reels may be, respectively, a heart, a heart and a wild symbol. If the gaming device awards a player for a three heart combination, the wild symbol substitutes for a heart and provides the player with that combination.
In a video poker game, a wild symbol substitutes for a card. For example, in a five card draw poker gaming machine where the gaming device displays five cards, the cards can be a 10, Jack, Queen, King and wild card. The wild card substitutes as an Ace and provides the player with a winning combination.
Wild cards have been employed in gaming devices in other manners. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,431,408 discloses a gaming device having a video poker gaming scheme. A player is dealt a hand consisting of five cards. The player is also given a wild card. The wild card is separate from the dealt hand. The player can reserve the wild card for use with a subsequent hand. Thus, the player can use the wild card in a hand in which it is most advantageous to do so.
In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,089,977 discloses a gaming device having a roaming wild symbol. More specifically, the patent discloses a gaming device having a plurality of virtual reels which have a set of symbols. Certain symbol combinations serve as triggering events. When one of these combinations occur on the reels, a wild card symbol appears on the reels in the form of a graphical image and moves along the reels. As the wild card symbol moves from one symbol or location to adjacent symbols or locations, the symbols sequentially transform into the wild card symbol. After each move of the wild card symbol, the gaming device determines and pays the player for any winning combinations which are the result of the transformation. When the wild card symbol moves to the next adjacent symbol, the symbol previously transformed reverts to its original state.
To increase player enjoyment and excitement, it is desirable to provide gaming devices having new and different wild symbol, wild indicator and wild card schemes.
The present invention provides a gaming device having transformable wild symbols which selectively transform into wild symbols. A wild/non-wild signal is associated with the transformable wild symbol to indicate whether the transformable wild symbol is wild or not wild.
In one embodiment, the gaming device has a plurality of virtual reels. The reels include various symbols, such as hearts, numbers, cherries and other suitable symbols. The reels also include at least one transformable wild symbol which alternates between at least two states. The states are a wild state and a non-wild state. The wild/non-wild signal associated with the transformable wild symbol includes a wild indicator and a non-wild indicator. The wild indicator indicates when the transformable wild symbol is in a wild state. The non-wild indicator indicates when the transformable wild symbol is in a non-wild state.
In one embodiment, the transformable wild symbol is in the form of a traffic signal having a section displaying the word xe2x80x9cREDxe2x80x9d and a section displaying the word xe2x80x9cGREEN.xe2x80x9d Lights corresponding to the words are also included in the sections. The xe2x80x9cGREENxe2x80x9d section on the traffic signal is the wild indicator that indicates or informs the player that the transformable wild symbol is in a wild state. The xe2x80x9cREDxe2x80x9d section on the traffic signal is the non-wild indicator that indicates or informs the player that the transformable wild symbol is in a non-wild state. When the xe2x80x9cGREENxe2x80x9d section is lit or otherwise highlighted or indicated, the transformable wild symbol is in the wild state. In the wild state, the transformable wild symbol may combine with symbols on the other reels to provide winning combinations in a conventional manner. When the xe2x80x9cREDxe2x80x9d section is lit or otherwise highlighted or indicated, the transformable wild symbol is in the non-wild state.
It should be appreciated that the transformable wild symbol of the present invention is not limited to being a traffic signal, and can be any other symbol, indicia or indicator having a plurality of states. For example, the transformable wild symbol could be a die having six states, one for each face of the die, wherein some states are wild and some states are not wild. In another example, the transformable wild symbol is in the form of a coin which has two states represented by xe2x80x9cHEADSxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cTAILS.xe2x80x9d The xe2x80x9cHEADSxe2x80x9d side is a wild indicator and the xe2x80x9cTAILSxe2x80x9d side is a non-wild indicator.
If the transformable wild symbol is in a wild state, the gaming device may further inform the player that the transformable wild symbol is in a wild state. In one embodiment, the gaming device displays the word xe2x80x9cWILD.xe2x80x9d The gaming device can also emit an audio message from the speakers. Other audio or visual methods are also contemplated in accordance with the present invention.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the reels spin and stop in a conventional manner. If a transformable wild symbol appears on the reels, and in one embodiment, on a payline of the reels, the wild indicator and the non-wild indicator begin to alternate and eventually stop alternating to provide either a wild state or a non-wild state which is determined by the processor of the gaming device.
The processor preferably randomly determines if the symbol is in the wild or non-wild state. In one embodiment, each transformable wild symbol may have a probability that the transformable wild symbol will become wild which the processor uses to determine if the symbol will be wild or non-wild. Each transformable wild symbol in a game may also have a different associated probability. In the traffic signal example, the xe2x80x9cREDxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cGREENxe2x80x9d sections or lights would alternatively flash. In one embodiment, the processor causes the xe2x80x9cREDxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cGREENxe2x80x9d sections to randomly flash. In a further embodiment, the wild-indicator and the non-wild indicator are alternating when the reels stop, so that the player immediately sees the alternating wild and non-wild states. In a further embodiment, the reels do not stop at the same time. They stop sequentially or in any order or combination. If the first reel includes a transformable wild symbol and stops such that the transformable wild symbol is on a payline, the other reels continue spinning while the wild indicator and the non-wild indicator alternate. Simultaneously when the next reel stops, the game maintains and displays the wild indicator or the non-wild indicator which is displayed at the moment the second reel stops. This creates an exciting and interesting game for the player, in part because the transformable wild symbol is not necessarily wild and the player must await the determination.
It should also be appreciated that the transformable wild symbol could be employed in other games. For example, in one embodiment, the gaming device displays a set of cards for a video poker game. A transformable wild symbol or card may be displayed on one or more of the cards. The gaming device displays a wild/non-wild signal to the player to indicate if the transformable wild symbol or card is or is not in a wild state. If the transformable wild symbol or card is in a wild state, the card which includes the transformable wild symbol or card becomes a wild card.
It is therefore an advantage of the present invention to provide a gaming device having a transformable wild symbol.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed disclosure, taken in conjunction with the accompanying sheets of drawings, wherein like numerals refer to like parts, elements, components, steps and processes.